7, on his wife's death, he placed them
in the neighbouring village of Lasswade, while he lived in solitude,
moving about from one dingy lodging to another.

De Q. stands among the great masters of style in the language. In his
greatest passages, as in the _Vision of Sudden Death_ and the _Dream
Fugue_, the cadence of his elaborately piled-up sentences falls like
cathedral music, or gives an abiding expression to the fleeting pictures
of his most gorgeous dreams. His character unfortunately bore no
correspondence to his intellectual endowments. His moral system had in
fact been shattered by indulgence in opium. His appearance and manners
have been thus described: "A short and fragile, but well-proportioned
frame; a shapely and compact head; a face beaming with intellectual
light, with rare, almost feminine beauty of feature and complexion; a
fascinating courtesy of manner, and a fulness, swiftness, and elegance of
silvery speech." His own works give very detailed information regarding
himself. _See_ also Page's _Thomas De Quincey: his Life and Writings_
(1879), Prof. Masson's _De Quincey_ (English Men of Letters). _Collected
Writings_ (14 vols. 1889-90).

DERMODY, THOMAS (1775-1802).--Poet, _b._ at Ennis, showed great capacity
for learning, but fell into idle and dissipated habits, and threw away
his opportunities. He _pub._ two books of poems, which after his death
were _coll._ as _The Harp of Erin_.

DE VERE, AUBREY THOMAS (1814-1902).--Poet, _s._ of Sir Aubrey de V.,
himself a poet, was _b._ in Co. Limerick, and _ed._ at Trinity Coll.,
Dublin. In early life he became acquainted with Wordsworth, by whom he
was greatly influenced. On the religious and ecclesiastical side he
passed under the influence of Newman and Manning, and in 1851 was
received into the Church of Rome. He was the author of many vols. of
poetry, including _The Waldenses_ (1842), _The Search for Proserpine_
(1843), etc. In 1861 he began a series of poems on Irish subjects,
_Inisfail_, _The Infant Bridal_, _Irish Odes_, etc. His interest in
Ireland and its people led him to write prose works, including _English
Misrule and Irish Misdeeds_ (1848); and to criticism he contributed
_Essays chiefly on Poetry_ (1887). His last work was his _Recollections_
(1897). His poetry is characterised by lofty ethical tone, imaginative
power, and grave stateliness of expression.

DIBDIN, CHARLES (1745-1814).--Dramatist and song writer, _b._ at
Southampton, beg